Main Causes Of The Cuban Missile Crisis

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The Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban missile crisis was a 13-day confrontation in October 1962 between the Soviet Union and the United States, and was the closest the world has ever come to a nuclear war. The Missile Crisis itself took place in October of 1962, and took place over only a short few weeks. The possible causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis include the policies and politics of the United States and the Soviet Union, and the Bay of Pigs and Berlin crises. There were also many effects, which created a period of détente, or ease of tension.

One of the main causes of the missile crisis was the policies and politics of the United States. John F. Kennedy was a strong opposer of Communism, and set up a foreign policy. In a speech, JFK stated “Foreign policy today, irrespective of what we might wish, in its impact on our daily lives, overshadows everything else. Expenditures, taxation, domestic prosperity, the extent of social sciences — all hinge on the basic issue of war or peace”. Kennedy believed that foreign policy and anti-Communism were key to politicians. In his efforts as an anti-Communist, he also established Peace Corps and the Alliance for Progress. Through Peace Corps, volunteers were trained and sent to developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to serve as teachers, health care workers, and agricultural advisors to aid them in their development. Because of a steadily deteriorating relationship with Latin America, Kennedy also established the Alliance for Progress and the Agency for International Development. Through these two programs, over $20 billion dollars were loaned in aid to build schools, hospitals, roads, houses, and power plants, as well as to promote democracy. The conflict came f...

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... Bay of Pigs and Berlin Crises, and foreign policy were two of the main causes of the Cuban Missile crisis, which goes to show that every strategic movement made by a country can be taken in an aggressive way, whether it was implied to be or not. It also proves that conflict is inevitable because there will always be different political views throughout the world. Although the Cuban Missile crisis was one of the darkest events in the Cold War, it has provided lasting effects on the United States and other nations of the world. The treaties and agreements that were negotiated have helped protect from a repeat of the Cuban Missile crisis by placing limits and creating easier means of communication among nations. Even on the brink of total nuclear destruction, the United States government was able to rise above that of the Soviet Union and avoid final confrontation.

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